Pumpkins are closely associated with Halloween.
We eat them, decorate them and use pumpkins for entertainment.
Pumpkins are generally orange, round, hollow squashes -- that grow regularly to about twelve inches in diameter, but prize-winning pumpkins can grow to be several feet in diameter.
Pumpkins are of a few different species. The scientific names are Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita mixta, Cucurbita maxima, and Cucurbita moschata. In Australia, the term pumpkin also refers to some other "winter" squash species. (Winter squashes are eaten after they have matured enough to have a hard inedible rind.)
Pumpkins can be cooked and served like other winter squash. They are also used in some baking, such as pumpkin flavored bread, pumpkin pie or a casserole-type dish with mashed pumpkin, brown sugar or honey, marshmallows, and spices like cinnamon. Some people clean the scooped out seeds and roast them, sometimes with salt or other seasoning. Then they are eaten like sesame or other roasted seeds.
Pumpkins can be used as decorations or lighting by carving them, they can also be painted.
See also[]
- pumpkin carving
- pumpkin carving contest
- pumpkin painting
- pumpkin recipes
- Halloween safety tips
- Great Pumpkin
- jack-o-lantern
- Peter, Peter pumpkin eater
External links[]
- Wikipedia's article on pumpkins